Crown of Despair
by aimsknight06
Summary: Betty, driven mad by Magic Man's hat, drives the Ice King's crown over the edge in turn. As Ooo slowly freezes to death, Finn, Jake, PB and Marceline must once again confront the monarch. This time though, it may be the last.
1. The Omen

"This is it for you guys…" The Vampire Queen prepares her deft victory movement.

"I win!"

Finn the human slaps down his triumphant hand, sending cards splaying about. Jake throws up his hand in exasperation and the Princess sighs. Marceline's mouth hangs open.

"Anyone up for another round?"

"No thanks, I'm bored…" Jake moans upwards at the wood ceiling, "Let's do some rainy day imaginations."

"Ohh, no Jake," Bubblegum wags her finger, "Finn told me how uncontrollable you can get with your imagination."

"What? I've got it all under control now! See-"

"Wait, what's that outside?" Finn squints, points out the window, "Looks like a big storm."

"It's already raining, dum-dum."

"No, it looks like a really weird … snow cloud."

"Hmm," PB checks her wristwatch for the weather report, "The atmospheric levels are normal, but the temperature is a little bit off."

"Think it's the Ice King?" Jake quips.

"Why would he be doing something like this?"

"I dunno. But you know the Ice King. He's a coupla bananas short of bunch."

Marceline says nothing as she gazes out into the rain. Indeed, as Finn said, a storm was approaching.


	2. Madness Beginneth

"Gunther… Gunther?"

The Ice King flips over on his bed. He doubles over, clutching his crown.

"Yeesh, what is going on today? Three migraines already!"

Hearing a wenk, he walks over to the kitchen and sees Gunther spilling milk from a broken bottle.

"GUNTHER!" The penguin jumps. The Ice King's eyes glow light blue as he blasts the penguin up against the wall with snow. It wenks wildly, alerting other penguins to its plight.

"Clean this mess up right now!" Ice King lumbers away after bidding his servants. That single snow blast drained him. Something about him had just become so sluggish today…

"Ice King."

"Huh?" Ice King perks up at the voice of a lady, "Oh, oh, wait! Just gimme a sec! I'm not ready-"

The floor bursts into shards as a figure burst through. The slivers of ice settle and Betty, wearing Magic Mans' hat, hovers just slightly above the new chasm.

"Huh? What princess are you?"

"Ice King. This has gone on long enough!" Without warning, she unleashes a rainbow blast of magic at him. He blocks with an ice wall before jumping behind his chair.

"Whoa! Lady, what are you doing?!"

"How long will you wallow in the flesh?! Show me your true form! _Expungenesis_!"

"Look, lady, I-WAAAAAAOOOOOOOHHH!" Ice King sticks his head out temporarily and gets a face full of magic. The blast sends him hurtling out the mouth-window of the mountain and into the show below.

Betty looks down. What she sees the crown, having broken. She wants it broken. She wants it so bad… So that Simon could come back… Like she said he would. The vision garbles and again she sees the familiar dark pool. Only this time, Simon is his original self. And he's dead.

"Simon?" She whispers, temporarily cured of the hat's madness, "Simon…"

Down below, the Ice King lay unconscious, immobile. The crown's jewels were pulsing and light blue energy flickered around the Ice King's eyelids and fingers. His eyes suddenly open, but they're filled with that malicious blue light. His facial muscles contort into an even more haggard, more ancient face. The mouth twists widely to show a toothy smile. With a swift burst of cold air, he's rocketed up into the sky and releasing freezing air into the atmosphere. Ominous clouds form as he gleefully, wordlessly, swirls his elements together.

" _Cryosis, gelu, glacie…"_

 _Let's freeze the world_ , he heard. The vision of the meteor that was destined to come. He had to stop it. By freezing everything.

The meteor's shape changes. It splits into two entities, one blue one green. The blue one becomes a young boy with a teddy hat. The green manifests into a gruesome haggard Lich King. The two battle and the Lich King is suddenly reduced to a fat boy with a broken horn. A pygmy elephant and pig appear and coddle it lovingly. The boy walks away to face a pink shape. Princess Bubblegum.

 _They're still here, the two halves of the meteor ... And they will destroy the world. I have to freeze them, freeze it all, save the world ... Like Master Evergreen told me to._

Laughing maniacally, he begins showering the air with snow clouds and hailstorms. Ice bolts rain down with savage abandon as the storm begins to spread to the horizon. From below, Betty looks a little distraught before teleporting to her next destination, leaving the crown-possessed King to his devices.

 _I'll save everyone! Then you'll love me my Princesses! Yes! YES!_

Lost within the distortion of memories, a little girl laughs innocently, hugging her teddy Hambo.


	3. Arrival of the Storm

"Princess, Princess!" Flambo trips upon interrupting the royal family dinner. The guards pin him down as he squirms and squeals, "Please, snow… storm…"

"What?" Phoebe, AKA Flame Princess, stands suddenly, knocking over her goblet of lava, "Release him."

The guards obey, allowing Flambo to speak, "There's a snowstorm headed this way your highness… Unlike anything I've ever seen…"

"Snow? Bah!" The Princess' brother snorts dismissively, "When have we ever let that come our way? We-"

"I've fought the Ice King before, Flint," Phoebe cuts him off, "If this is his doing, we'll stop him. But it'll be … difficult."

It wasn't particularly difficult for her. Once she pulled all stops, she pretty much annihilated the whole Ice Kingdom. This time, something was weird. Ice King would never be so belligerent to pick a fight with them. No, he was just a sad old man, and they only fought because of Finn. What could he achieve coming here, guns blazing? Just then, Flambo keels over.

"Flambo!"

She rushes to the little fire imp to discover his backside being doused effectively by a growing patch of ice from his tail.

"Flambo, what happened?"

"I-I don't know … I think a snowflake touched me or something… But I-" He begins coughing violently, wheezing black smoke.

"Get Flambo to the medical wing," Phoebe instructs. As her guards carry him away, she feels fear well up in her stomach area. Ice that could douse a fire elemental…

"So? What's the plan, sis? I got the whole army. We could obliterate this bozo, easy."

"Flint, don't be such a hothead," Aunt Agnes doesn't even laugh at her own little joke, "Let's think about this."

"No," FP walks over to the window and peers out at the impending storm, "Flint's right."

…

"Ugh, girl," LSP lazily flicks through the static channels in the Turtle Kingdom royal living room, "You've got, like, no reception here."

She tosses the remote, missing the table. It hits the carpet as Turtle Princess enters with a tray of milk and cookies.

"Huh. That's weird. This is usually the time I watch my reality television."

" _Ugh,_ I'm bored! This is like some poor people's channel!" The lumpy princess flaps her arms about, then rises from the couch, "TP, where's your toilet again?"

"Over there," TP points at a small enclosed round area where a stout toilet can be seen, "It might be small for you."

"Psh, like whatever. Hey, are you calling me fat?!"

"What, no! Girl, I just-"

A streak of blue lightning flashes outside the window, silencing the two quibblers. LSP swallows hard. She and TP both know that means the Ice King is near.

…

" _Glacie, Gelu … GLACIEM AETATE!"_ In a deep growling voice, completely uncharacteristic, the Ice King sends forth wave after wave of snowstorms. They ripple through out the atmosphere, some accumulating into larger behemoth storms. Snow and ice lightning begin to rain down in all of Ooo as the storm spread.

In the Candy Kingdom, several citizens were struck dead by ice bolts. Others experienced an even worse Freezer Burn Flu when tasting some snow out of curiosity.

FP had put more engineers on duty to double the lava spew and keep the kingdom hot. As the snow hit, the lava turned to pumice and with every flake touching down, the temperature dropped slightly. All fire elementals were strongly advised to keep inside.

All the kingdoms begin to feel the chill. Even ones not directly affected. Death looks up from his Zen Garden meditation to see a small explosive stream of new dead in the 37th Dead World. Hunson hears Shadowfall rear and the squabble of the Nightosphere quiets just slightly. The frog portal to Lumpy Space has been shut down due to need of repairs after a frost attack.

" _Yes…"_ Says the Ice King, _"This is what I was meant to do from the start!"_

 _Right, Master Evergreen?_


	4. Siege Preparations

"Gunther! Get me more Ice Elixir!" The old wizard Evergreen barks, "It needs to be perfect!"

"Yes, Master Evergreen."

"Oh, they'll all see. When I'm right..." The green dinosaur hears his master mutter, "When I've saved this world, they'll call me king!"

After a long day of working on the crown again, Gunther takes Nina up to the Summit. There the other three elementals are encased in ice until Evergreen averts the disaster and decides to brag to them. Gunther takes out a book from Evergreen's library. It's a fairy tale tome filled with vivid depictions of valiant knights, kings, dragons and, most importantly, princesses.

"I want to save the world like Master Evergreen," Gunther strokes the princess on the page affectionately, "He must have lots of princess admirers, though I've never seen any. I'm sure he keeps them locked up so I can't get to them. Ha ha..."

Nina purrs. Gunther strokes the dino-cat, "Maybe one day I will become a wizard. Just like him."

 _And then the comet hit. All his dreams were dashed in a flash. No more dinosaurs. Just remnants of death and the essence of withering life. I know all that._

 _Dashed dreams and hopes... Linger and drive everyone mad. I know what I must do. I will protect everyone, as it was decided. No more nice Ice King. But there's this tinny hornet buzzing around in my head. Who're you calling 'Simon'?_

 _..._

By the time, Marceline left the Treehouse, she'd noticed the odd change in scenery. Frost was covering trees and slick ice from frozen rain covered the river and dirt trails. The roof of her cave had bats frozen stiff. It felt too cold, even for a vampire. Icicles cluster in fringes from her roof. She has to crack the door frame a little to open the door. Inside is just as chilly, much like a refrigerator. Marceline rubs her elbows uncomfortably.

"Simon... Please don't tell me you're doing this."

She remembers the nights of restlessness when Simon would freeze the floor beneath himself unconsciously. Back then, she couldn't do anything for him. And even now nothing's changed. She had acquired power, but he was still mad as a hatter.

"Yo! Marceline!" Three ghosts enter, uninvited, "Brr! It's so cold a ghost can feel it! Anyway, wanna hang out?"

"Nah, I'm actually gonna hit the sack early today. Maybe tomorrow, when it's warmed up."

"Mind if we crash the night?"

"Go ahead."

A night with the trio of raucous ghosts was the last thing on her mind. While flying on the way here, she'd seen the clouds across the sky, unceasing. No doubt they span across all of Ooo by now. The sound of hail arises outside, loud enough to echo in the cave.

...

"Whoo! Brr!" Finn struggles to get warm in his sleeping bag amid fur pelts, "I am freezing my toes off. Jake?"

"Shh. I'm making a call to Lady. See how the weather is there."

"Man, you're gonna go crash there?"

"No, it's just ... there's lightning. And a good boyfriend comforts his girl."

"Well, g'night," Finn turns over and squeezes his eyes shut, "I just hope my eyes don't freeze shut overnight."

There's suddenly a loud crash, followed by BMO's cry for "Finn! Jake!" Finn hops down in his bag, resembling a brown worm. Jake, still on the phone, trips down the ladder, breaking another rung. Their living room and kitchen are littered with ice balls the size of a head. Holes on the roof indicate their point of entry.

"Aw, rats, it's hailing now?!"

"Shh! I'm having trouble getting signal!"

"Oh, glob guys! If this is happening all over Ooo, who knows what'll go down?!"

"You are telling me!" BMO's voice whines, "The power is out, so I have to go into energy save..."

"Stay put, BMO. We'll go sort this jaz-AAHHH!"

Ice creeps in from the closed window. The extreme temperature makes hairline fractures in the glass. The hail continues pouring in and ice from that spreads also.

"We'll be turned into popsicles!" He turns to Jake, "Quick, to the Fire Kingdom!"

"Alright, wait, really? Well, hope he feels better... What's that in the background? ...It's hailing at your place too, huh? Well, me and Finn are gonna see if we can't warm up in the Fire Kingdom. Meet us there? ...Uh-huh...Uh-huh. Ok, love ya, bye," Jake ends the call, "So, what'd you say Finn?"

"JAKE! We gotta skedaddle before our buns frost off!"

"Oh, right."

Jake, formed into a bus, allows Finn to pile all their stuff inside before driving off into the snowy landscape. The headlights, Jake's eyes, wince from the pelting hail.

"Dude, this hurts like bonkers...!"

"Whoa, look at that!"

Finn is looking at the rapidly expanding Ice Kingdom. The main mountain is growing taller and spires of ice emerge, surrounding it with an icy wall. Snow golems, armed with ice armor and tall as gumball guardians, emerge and stand guard. A whipping snow wind begins to obscure vision across the land.

"Heck, no wonder T.V. got a cold. this is crazy!" Jake bellows over the roaring winds, "Hey, are we at the Fire Kingdom yet?"

"Shoot man, I can't see nothin'!" Finn flips out his holo-cube transmitter to call Flame Princess, "Oh, wait. I forgot she doesn't have a phone anymore. She didn't want me calling..."

"Don't worry, man. Maybe we'll - WOOAAHUZZAT?!"

The Jake bus suddenly skids to a stop. It's vibrating like crazy. Peering out the windows, Finn glimpses hazy figures in the snowstorm. They approach, and he can see a rounded shape, like a penguin. When one of them sticks their mug up at the window, he can see it really _is_ a large penguin.

"Holy smokes! Did Gunther get the magic eye again?"

"AHH! They're here to jack us up!" Jake begins to rev his wheels, running aground in the deep snow drifts, "Oh glob, oh glob oh glob!"

"HiYAH!" Finn leaps out, swinging his Finn sword. He catches one of the birds in the eye, "Yes!"

He pries the sword out and notices the cracks his sword made. The penguin exterior sheds like a shell and leaves a glittering ice warrior in it's place. All the other penguins begin molting.

"W-What the..."

One warrior charges at Finn, his arm an edge of ice. Finn breaks the sword just by parrying. The shards of ice merely recollect at the broken stump and the warrior swings again, grazing Finn's cheek.

"Jake! Any luck?!"

"JAKE-SPLOSION!" Abandoning his vehicle form, Jake rapidly expands, shoving all the enemies away briefly. He turns to Giant Jake, scoops up all their stuff along with Finn, and begins to run for it. He dares not look back at the pursuing sentinels.

"What was that?! Ice Sentinels..." Finn pulls out his vibrating cube transmitter, "Yeah, PB? The sich here's bingbong!"

"I can tell, and it's not any better here," The Princess looks over her castle lobby filled with sick and a roaring storm outside, "I need you to pay a visit to the Ice King. If you know what I mean."

"He's got some new tricks up his sleeves, that's for sure. We'll do, Princess."

Bubblegum closes her transmitter, a worried expression on her face. She goes to help doctor Ice Cream with the incoming sick when Lady Rainicorn bursts in with her son, T.V., frozen solid, in her coils.

" _Gongju, dowa juseyo!_ " Cries the distraught mother, "T.V., _geuneun_ _apeun!"_

"Calm down Lady, T.V. will be fine. Bring him here."

They move T.V's rotund body awkwardly to a free bed. He's cold and stiff and his eyes are frozen open.

" _Museun il-i geuwa hamkke jalmos?"_ Asks Lady, her arms twitching anxiously as the Princess places one end of her stethoscope on T.V's chest, " _Geuneun_ _balo, gwaenchanh-eul geoya?"_

The Princess' face is inscrutable. Inside, her fear is beginning to overtake her usual rational calm composure. The disease is spreading ... and it's more lethal than before.

"We'll give him a hot salt bath. I'll tell Finn and Jake we need the Ice King's pained cries again. It worked before."

"Don't bother."

The windows shatter and a huge gust blows through the hall from the wide-opened doors. Princess Bubblegum feels ice shards prick her incessantly as she shields her face. Lady wraps a protective ring around her. Betty stands at the heart of the maelstrom, her blank eyes fixated on Bubblegum.

"Who the math are you?" Bubblegum is not sure the strange woman heard her, "Are you causing the Freezer Burn Flu?"

"It's no simple flu, you fake Princess. This is the Blue Death, and there is no cure. Now that the crown has awakened, all of Ooo will freeze."

"What are you talking about!?" PB did not take kindly to being referred to as 'fake', "Are you working with that kook?!"

"I don't care what happens..." Betty speaks in a low whisper, drowned out by the howling winds, "I just want Simon back ... Simon, I'll save you..."

" _Geunyeonneun mueos-eul mal haessneunga_?"

"Blazz-mo GLOP!" PB shoots a ray from her hidden sidearm. The shot freezes midair and falls onto the floor, a solid ball of ice, "What -"

"I told you, it's useless to try and stop it," Betty's words are emotionless, "This world... This garden of fruit will be overcome by the frost. Then from the soil will come the old animals who dare approach the ancient oak. All insects will be eliminated, and then-!"

From behind, Betty's hat is suddenly swiped off by Marceline's bass. She wobbles, having lost her power, and collapses at the Vampire Queen's feet.

"Marceline!" Bubblegum runs forth from Rainicorn's wraps and embraces her friend, "Oh, thank Glob!"

"What's going on here?" Marceline twirls the hat on her finger, "I came to see if you were okay in this weather..."

"There's no time. The Ice King, he's bringing something called the Blue Death. We need to stop him. Finn and Jake already went ahead, I'm calling for back-up."

"Wait, what? Why would Simon do all this? There's got to be a mistake!"

"I'm calling the Fire Kingdom. Marceline, you should stay here. You may have healing powers but in this sort of cold, who knows."

Marceline opens her mouth to protest. Betty's unconscious groan stops her short. What is _she_ doing here?

"Betty? Yo, Betty. You-"

Betty's eyes flash open. Marceline sees those blank eyes. She knows what those mean. The eyes haunt her whenever she thinks of Simon.

"Give me back my hat!" Betty makes a grab for the hat. Marceline pulls it out of reach.

"Betty, you too?!" Marceline shouts, "You said you'd help cure Simon! You became just like him!"

"This _is_ the way to cure him!" Betty gnashes her teeth, "The crab at the bottom of the neighbor's pool ... It's with Simon! I've merely dove in!"

"What are you talking about? You're crazy!" Marceline holds the hat close. If magical head wear had any weakness, it was that the owner was powerless without it.

"Guards!" At the Princess' command, two banana guards arrive to take Betty to the dungeons.

"PB, please tell me you have a plan," Marceline looks at her hopefully.

"...You're not gonna like it," The Princess takes a deep breath, "If what the kooky woman said was true, we can't cure it like we did the flu. It'll have to go beyond that ... to the pure source."

"We're going to kill the Ice King."


	5. Let Me Talk to Him

_Kill him … Kill the Ice King, kill Simon..._

"You can't be serious."

"Why wouldn't I be? I've had the thought for a long time now... Even when he was low-level threat. One day he would have to be erased … Like any other monster."

"He's not a monster!" Marceline grabs the princess' shoulders, "You … You can't kill him!"

Marceline gasps inwardly when she sees Bubblegum's surprised expression. She lets go hastily, retreating to a corner. Bubblegum cautiously walks over and places a firm hand on her shoulder.

"My people are dying, Marceline."

"He's not a monster..." Marceline mutters, half sobbing. She buries her face in her arms. Curling into a ball midair, "Simon..."

The Princess sighs and picks up her flashing transmitter, promptly heading into her study. There, she turns on her princess phone board. A hologram rectangle appears with multiple squares, a princess occupied in each one. They all are on the network.

"PB! It's an utter disaster! A calamity! Oh my glob, I can't even-"

"Bubblegum! Do you know if it's Ice King? He's gone too far thi-"

"I've got frostbite up to my ankles!"

"Everyone, SHUT UP!" Flame Princess silences all chatter before addressing PB solely, "Bonnie, I think we know what we have to do."

"Ooo has always been within jurisdiction of the four main elemental kingdoms. We're just excluding the Ice in this case," PB pulls up another screen, this one with a pie chart, "Let us enact the ancient voting laws. The kingdoms of slime, fire and candy each get two votes. All others get one."

"Who knew you'd be so uptight, even now?"

"The situation is dire. We'll require all the power we can get. I'm pretty sure I saw snow golems the size of mountains outside..."

"So we agree on war against the Ice Kingdom? Against the Ice King?"

"Well, what else could be going on?"

"I'm not so sure..."

"C'mon guys!" Flame Princess slams her panel, "I've still got my one ace card! The Ancient Fire Giant, granted from Balthus himself!"

"And I still have my Gumball Guardians," Bubblegum tallies up a statistics chart, bringing it to view, "We've got good chances. If he can be reasoned with, then we won't have to get violent."

"Hey, does Finn still have that elephant thing?" Gridface Princess quips, "That thing was able to destroy Darren. Maybe that'll help."

"Hmm. I think he set it free or something, but that's a good idea. Now for the rest of you-" Before PB finishes, the hologram phases and drops flat, "Huh?"

"Princess!" Two banana guards are knocking frantically at the door, "Princess! The TV's out! What do we do?!"

"The storm's knocked out the power. Now what...?" The Princess mumbles to herself before shouting to the guards, "Get your coats! We gotta do this another way!"

As she leaves her chambers, Marceline approaches her. She seems a little bit teary still.

"Bonnie, wait."

"Marceline, I wish there was another way, but, ugh, I'm sorry," She sighs, looking the vampire in the eye, "Why do you want to ... not kill him so bad?"

Marceline turns away. Time is sparse, and Bubblegum isn't one to pry when Marceline's got that kind of an expression on. She's about to brusquely leave for the watchtower when Marceline says abruptly,

"Just...Let me talk to him."

"What?" Bubblegum turns at the ridiculous proposal, "Marcy, you'll get hurt..."

"No. He'd never hurt me... Never," The Vampire Queen's eyes are confident, "It's like, what do you royal prissies call it, negotiating?"

"...I don't know, Marcy. What makes you think you can talk to that madhouse?"

"Just trust me, Bonnie," Marceline opens a window, letting in snow much to the princess' ire, "Alright, I'm going."

With a quick gesture of farewell, she leaps out into the storm. Bonnibel's words are jammed in her throat. There's no talking Marceline out of things when she's made her mind up. She shuts the window and mutters what she had wanted to say to the reckless queen,

"Be safe..."

"Princess!" The guards call from the tower, "Lookit' all this snow! It's so pretty!"

"Guards, do not eat or touch it!"

"Too late, uhh, I don't feel too good..."

Hastily donning her winter wear and grabbing a pack, she rushes up to find one frozen banana. The other guard is shaking in his chocolate coating.

"Get him downstairs. I'll look a little longer," The Princess instructs as she pulls out binoculars, "Let's see what's out in this storm..."

In the storm, vision is heavily obstructed by snow. Even so, large, lumbering figures, presumably the golems Muscle Princess mentioned, can be seen roaming about slowly. The Princess looks toward the Ice Kingdom, the presumed heart of this maelstrom. The shape of the pointed mountains is much larger than usual, with several spiky additions.

"What are you planning, Ice King..." The Princess fumbles in her pack and pulls out a signal flare, "Let's just hope the other princesses get the message."

 _POW!_ The flare goes up and sparks once, twice. A message of light forms, searing through the storm briefly: _Let's meet on the battlefield_.

...

"Grand Master? Your there?" Marceline shakes the snow off her hair and drops the guard she was strangling as she enters the chamber filled with dense magical air, "I need to talk to you."

Hearing gentle coos, she goes towards a veiled door. Opening a crack, she sees the hairy old man playing with a cluster of cats jammed in a crowded cage. He's too occupied by the felines to notice her as she approaches.

"Dude, what are you doing?"

"WAAHH!" He jumps at the sound of her voice, "OH, GLOB, CHILD! Hasn't anyone told you not to scare the daylight out of elders?!"

"Yeah, I don't have time for that kinda stuff right now, man."

"How did you get past our barrier? And the guards?"

"I think the snowstorm outside will explain everything."

"What storm? The barrier keeps out weather changes..."

"How long have you been playing with your cats?" Marceline smirks before busting a whole in the wall, letting frigid air blow in. Icicles form at the ends of the shaggy Grand Wizards' hide. He shivers slightly before peering out nervously to the storm.

"What the stuff?! The magic barrier... It's gone!"

"Your guards were a little tough, but I took care of them," Marceline idly glances at her nails, "Now, about the storm..."

"It's undoubtedly Ice King's magic... But it feels different, more ancient somehow..."

"How do we stop it?"

"...You want to go stop him, Vampire?" The Grand Wizards' voice holds intrigue, if not surprise.

"I'm going to reason with him."

"And if you cannot?"

"Just tell me about a solution you might have," Marceline brushes aside the "if". She didn't want to think about that. She'd lost Simon a long time ago to insanity. She didn't want him lost to death too. As long as he was alive ... then maybe someone, if not she, could still save him.

"Come this way," He waves a bookshelf away to reveal a passage downwards, "Along the way, I think I'll talk, to save us some explanation later."

He needed no sconce because his jeweled eyes, like Marceline's, contained light of their own. The dark winding staircase led deep below into a new layer of earth, on buried with ancient secrets.

"It's ... Kinda stuffy..." Marceline pulls at her collar nervously.

"Hard to breathe, is it? We've gotten so accustomed to Ooo's rich magic air. But there came a time in this world when magic ceased to exist."

"So... where are we? Are we entering that era's remnants or something?"

"Before there was time, there was nothing. Before nothing, existed monsters. After time, magic gave creation form, making worlds like ours. Beasts roamed in a world where magic did indeed exist, but few could wield it," The Grand Wizard turns a little in pace to look at Marceline from the corner of his eye, "That is when I believe the crown, Ice King's source of power, came into existence."

"The thing's that old...? Simon said he was some person studying old things... That must have been how he found it." _And it was, unfortunately, the beginning of all his trouble..._

"Ah, you call him Simon. The girl who came to Wizard City some time ago, what was her name... Betty? She called him that too."

"Betty came to Wizard City?"

"Well, she wanted to know more about the origins of magic. She was obsessed with breaking the Ice King's curse, or something. Alas, we couldn't help," The Grand Wizard shrugs, "The ancients' magic is hard to understand."

"Wait," Marceline pauses at a section of the wall where a missile shell protrudes, "I recognize this ... These are from the Mushroom war!"

"Yes they were. Half of the sides in that War disapproved or did not believe in magic. These were the weapons they used. It was their creation ... The bomb which created the Lich."

Science ... PB once told Marceline how magic was just a fraud. Distasteful memories surface in the Queen's mind. She remembered her mother and her peaceful days, all ruined by the bomb. But when she'd met Simon, something else took him away. Magic.

"Then I'm thinking the other sides used magic?"

"Yes. They made tools of destruction as well. You've seen Darren, the Tree Golem, who now sleeps indefinitely. Another would be the Psychic Tandem Elephant."

"Are we done here? You know that storm's only getting worse, right?" Marceline folds her arms impatiently, "How deep does this thing go?"

"It has to be very deep, so no magic air will trigger it's growth. The non-believing made magic out to be evil. To extinguish it, they made Bella Noche, Anti-Magic," The two approach an eroding trail, "I had Ron James develop a proper anti-magic substance to contain the remaining fragments of Bella Noche after it's defeat at the hands of Betty. It was in preparation for a situation like this..."

"Wait, you wanna just sap the crown like last time?" Marceline recalls how Simon almost died because his source of immortality was seized, "That's-!"

"We are here."

An old corroded metal door with a hatch handle stands at the end of the tunneling stairway. Marceline can feel a nasty cloying at her every breath. It's similar to when the city was destroyed. The air is is tainted.

"You are a Vampire, a magical creature nonetheless. Therefore, I'd advise caution."

With that he raises his arms and the hatch pops loose just a little. then he manually strains to open the door. Inside the room is like a box, with its only content sitting suspended on a column in the room center: A black cube floating in a multi-hued bubble.

"...That's anti-magic?" Marceline was largely underwhelmed.

"Yes, the last of Bella Noche is inside... Now," The Grand Wizard gently scoops up the bubble, "To the Ice Kingdom!"

"You better let me handle that, old man," Marceline stands in front of the exit, "I'm going, alone."

"Don't be ridiculous. The crown is a powerful artifact. If it has completely overridden him, then this is all we can do to stop the freeze across Ooo!"

Vampires do not need to utilize magic external to themselves like a wizard would the elements. They contain the core of their magic within themselves. So Marceline had no trouble plucking the bubble from the Grand Master's hands and flitting out of there before he could blink, unable to stop her without magic. She doesn't look back despite his angry howls growing smaller and smaller as she reaches the surface.

"I'm not going to let them kill you, Simon..." Murmurs the queen to herself reassuringly, "Just please, please listen..."

...

"Good Glob, Jake," Finn mutters as he pulls on his yellow sweater, "What do you think, bro? Ice King's up to some serious biz this time."

"Yeah. And I'll bet the guy's got crazy traps set up for us."

"Thanks, Tree Trunks," Finn waves good bye to the pygmy elephant, "We'll be back for our stuff after we take care of this storm."

"Oh do be careful, boys," TT looks outside at Mr. Pig shoveling snow, "I worry Sweet Pea'll catch a cold..."

"Don't worry," Finn draws his sword, "Let's go, Jake!"

Jake digs his legs into the snow and pounces off into the storm. They're familiar with the route to the Ice Kingdom. this is no different, if only a little more treacherous. At the Passe Crevasse, the two see Princess Bubblegum with Morrow and Lemongrab III atop his camel.

"Lemongrab?! Princess?" Jake screeches to a stop before the earl and princess, "What're you doing here? I thought we were going in alone!"

"You are," The Princess exhales a small cloud of vapor, "You and Marceline are going to see if Ice King can't be reasoned with. I'm placing the battlefield here, at the Ice Kingdom borders. If negotiations fail, there will be all-out war."

"Marceline?"

"Yeah," Marceline turns off her invisibility, giving Jake a jump, "Don't worry. It'll all blow over. You didn't need to assemble everyone."

"Everyone? You mean, Flame Princess and..." Finn recalls how his ex once battled the Ice King.

"Yes. I want you to be careful, Finn. I've got this weird feeling-"

"Oh, come on already!" Marceline flits off ahead, "You kiddies coming or what?"

Jake grunts and runs off after her, Finn on his back. The Princess clasps her gloved hands to her mouth and breathes into it. Lemongrab draws his sword and shoots down a hovering Ice Owl. It's pieces rain down, blown by the wind. Shadows indicate the arrival of the other kingdoms.

"Glob, it's really coming down."


	6. Negotiations

"Marcy," Simon's voice wrenches her from the view of the smoking city, "Let's go."

The little girl takes his hand and holds Hambo in the other tightly. The city is gone. Putrid fumes and the green dimness seem to drive away all life. She saw the vision again, the dark shadow of evil reaching, close up to her and her mother.

She's with Simon now. His hand suddenly turns cold. From behind, she glimpses the golden crown atop an invisible monarch. Simon's hand dissipates and he _is_ the king. Eyes blaring, he shoots directly at her-

"Yo, Marcy," Finn calls from behind, "You alright?"

Marceline blinks out of her daydream. She'd stood looking up, immobile, for a few minutes as they prepared to ascend the icy wall. Her breath makes a small puff of steam as she exhales heavily, "Yeah, I'm fine..."

"Shee... Ice King's sure gone all out with redecoration..." Jake begins stretching upwards. Marceline flies beside him.

"Marceline, you sure you're okay with this?" Finn remembers how she had said Simon was her best friend. Well, Simon is Ice King. Could she possibly kill him? "This is bonkers."

"I know."

"You know, we can just go on ahead ourselves if you-"

"I told you I'm fine. Look, we're here."

At the peak of the wall is the Ice Kingdom, encircled by added icy peaks and humongous golem sentries. Numerous penguins are being rounded up in a wide space between the palace walls and the enclosure. The trio look toward the ever familiar face of the main tower with its circular eyes and triangular mouth. Blue light is exuding in waves out the top of the peak, where it looks like it erupted. The three speed towards the entry.

Upon entering the main room, a frigid air instills itself. The monarch doesn't seem to be in his usual chambers.

"Careful, guys, he could be hiding anywhere... Doing his weird stuff."

Marceline glimpses a shadow by the staircase leading to the lower chambers of the mountain. While Finn and Jake are tearing through Ice King's laundry basket, she slips away quietly down the harrowing steps...

Fizzling sparks of icy light flash in the preeminent darkness from below. Even the breath of an undead makes a vapor cloud form. Marceline wafts over the chasm after the stair fades away into icicle caverns. All the ice monsters in the lower dungeons have been frosted over with a thick shell of ice. It's like they're hibernating in a cocoon in preparation or something...

"Simon, come on... Let me find you..."

As if summoned by plea, Marceline hears the deranged voice of the king. Further down the tunnel, ice grows sporadically,rapidly and shatters upon touch. His powers, now unstable, were making a living fortress underground. After deftly dodging the ice, Marceline flits into a recently made room, hollowed out like a sphere. The Ice King doesn't notice her, instead muttering incantations as he pores over ancient books.

"Simon!" Marceline cries out to get his attention.

The King looks up and his head turns in a grotesque fashion towards the queen. Marceline shivers once those pale eyes gaze into her. they emanate sinister energy. Those sharp teeth part to form words.

"What are you doing here?"

"Simon... What are you doing? You have to stop..."

"I remember you."

"What?" He remembers her?

"Yes, yes. You're that little brat from a thousand years ago... The one who kept me at bay for so long!" His hands brim with malicious energy meant to strike.

"No, Simon-" Marceline narrowly dodges an ice blast, "Simon! Don't do this!"

"The name you call for is gone! I have been awakened from my flesh constrains! Now I will do as I was meant to eons ago ... and save this world! You shan't stop me!"

"Back then...? You can't be - The crown?"

"Yes, foolish child. You may be undead, but there ways to keep you DEAD!"

Ice shards the size of poles fly towards the queen, who smashes a few with her ax bass, dodging the rest. One ice shard scratches her arm. To her surprise, the wound begins freezing over.

"Yes, YES!" The crown-possessed king fires with savage abandon. Ice litters the chamber. Marceline fingers the Anti-Magic cube in her pocket with lingering emotion. From behind, she smells Finn and Jake approaching.

"Marcy-Whoa!" Jake pokes his head out only to shrink back from the assault, "What're you doing?! Let us help!"

"No! I have to- Simon!" Marceline cries out again, "Please! Come back with me! Betty, she's waiting for you! Simon!"

 _Simon..._ In the tattered mind of the former Simon, he doesn't even look up. Whatever was calling him, it was too late. The chains keeping him anchored to the smallest shreds of sanity left are freezing over, breaking. It's all beyond repair.

"Urgghh..." Marceline pulls out the Bella Noche fragment in desperation, "STOP!"

The king freezes in sight of the dreaded anti-magic matter. The ice stops. Finn and Jake stare from behind their hiding place.

"Bella Noche..."

"That's right. Now I want Simon back."

"You wouldn't use that... If I die, you know what happens to him, surely."

Marceline is silent. This impasse seems impossible. If she uses the anti-magic, Simon will die. If she doesn't stop the crown, Ooo will freeze. There had to be a third option...

"Foolish child, why must you stop me? I'm saving the world!"

"No! You're not ... No one ... Everyone thinks they can just go save the world! Well that doesn't just happen! If I've learned anything..."

 _Vampires are the ultimate balance. It is our duty, as the immortals to reform the world since only we know how as we have observed for millennia..._

 _"_ You can't just go changing the world and thinking you can save anything..."

The King gnashes, "You know nothing! The last thousand years are nothing compared to what I have observed since the very beginning! Oh yes... The beginning..."

Despite the present chill, an even stronger cold settles. Blue energy courses about the ice, making it move.

"Marceline!" The brothers try to jump forward. Their attempt is blocked by a frigid wall that separates them from the two monarchs. Helpless, they can only watch through the clear ice as Marceline and the King deliberate.

"Simon..." Marceline looks onward at the maddened king. The cube feels heavier every passing second.

Ice creeps out, layer over layer, from the King's feet. He slowly begins to float.

 _I can't save you, can I...?_

Marceline throws the cube.


	7. Failed Sanity

Regret. Regret. Regret.

 _No, come back... I didn't mean it..._

Too late, Marceline reaches for the undo switch. The cube flies through the air silently. The rainbow film of the shrouding bubble dulls from the cold and shatters, its iridescent fragments glimmering midair.

Everything is moving now. Marceline lunging to undo her mistake. The Ice King cackling and freezing the room. Finn and Jake silently screaming, inwardly cursing their own helplessness... The black cube, free of its enclosure, begins to bulge. Powered by the air of magic, it begins to rapidly expand.

"NO!" Marceline yells out as she is also enveloped by the anti-magic.

"MARCELINE!" The brothers are shielded by the barrier. they watch in horror as Bella Noche spread.

The crown-crazed Ice King sees the black onslaught. It creeps up his exposed ankles, making him howl as it saps his magic. The red jewels on the crown flicker, then glow bright. The Ice King's eyes flare with violent energy. Gnashing, he blasts ice at the black mass. It seems to push at the anti-magic. White cracks begin forming on the sleek black surface.

"YOU...WILL...NOT...STOP...MEEEEEE!"

There's an explosion. The shards of black go flying. A voice is heard screaming as it fades. The final shards of Bella Noche dissipate into dust. The Anti-Magic has been destroyed.

"Ugh..." Marceline opens her eyes blearily. Her ears are filled with the Ice King's laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" The old monarch's face is immensely joyful, a painful smile baring his sharp teeth. His hands brimming with magic shake slightly from his explosive magic use, "You foolish child! You see!"

The Vampire queen is yanked upwards by a sudden growth of ice hooked on the back of her shirt. The effects of Bella Noche render her lethargic and listless. She can only watch as the Ice King gleefully closes in on his prey.

"I've always wanted to get rid of you... Now I'll finally-!"

"NO!" Finn hacks at the ice in vain. Jake pounds the barrier. The two of them are screaming at the top of their lungs, "Marceline! Get away! ICE KING!"

"Simon..." Marceline fights the sleepy feeling setting in. She can feel something crawling under her skin, taking over...

"...Simon..."

The Ice King is at eye-level with her now. His hand is poised to strike. Marceline sees herself mirrored in those glossy eyes. No one's home. There's no Simon anymore. She just couldn't accept that.

"Simon, NO-!"

A desperate, last-resort lunge... Her hand is just inches from his nose. Then suddenly her whole body is thrusted backwards. A spear of ice pierces her. It arches upwards, letting her body dangle from the apex. Her blood turns cold as the ice magic spreads from the initial puncture.

"Si...mo...n..." Marceline's eyes glaze over with Simon still in view. She convulses, coughing. Her blood flowers onto the floor, out of her mouth and wound. The Vampire Queen suddenly falls still, suspended, impaled in midair.

"...Hehe... HAHAHAHA!" The Ice King renews his cackle with vigor, "You see, old fool! If you had never brought her along... let her die in some other forsaken place... Maybe she wouldn't be here right now! HAHAHAHA!"

Jake's eyes are wide beyond imagination. Finn's mind goes blank. His hands, numb from cold, almost drop his sword. Then, as if possessed, he grips the hilt even tighter. The pommel begins to glow an unearthly blue. With a sudden burst of crazed strength, Finn rams a hole through the ice shell. This draws the attention of the crown. The two look at each other, eye to eye, and for a second, their spirits saw their exposed natures. The crown was an ugly old narcissistic mage with a long beard. Finn was a fiery blue light, emanating good.

"You're one of the halves of the comet..." Ice King prepares to blast the hero, "You will not destroy this world! I won't allow it!"

Finn shoots him a look that silences his insane snickers. Jake sees a new blue light flicker in Finn's eyes. The dog shudders.

"I'm not here to destroy anything," Finn says with a strangely, detached voice, "I am here to purge evil."

"Lies," The Ice King regains his tongue, "If that were so, you would have killed this girl long before! Her race is evil!"

"She tried to save _you,_ " Ice King shrinks back as Finn points his sword in his direction, "Simon. She wanted to save you from yourself."

 _Simon... Simon..._ The voice comes from a little girl clutching her teddy-bear, looking straight into the camera lens. The old man's hands are shaking as he clicks the shutter. The photo... the bear... Marceline...

"...Finn?" The old man murmurs through his beard. His eyes have a sudden clarity.

 _NO! You old fool! Why couldn't you just stay asleep!?_

Simon clutches his head in pain. The crown jewels pulsate menacingly.

"Finn... Finn! Take Marceline and get away! Get far away! I can't..." He speaks through his tightly clenched teeth, his breath in quick bursts, "I can only hold it ... one last time..."

"Simon..." The absolute good in Finn holds him bound to help those in need. The Ice King's in so much pain...

"Just GO! NOW!" Simon's eyes flash intermittently with blue, flaring lights. The madness threatens to return and throw everyone here for a loop. Right now, he's just barely in control, struggling at the precipice...

"Jake!" Finn's eyes return to normal. The magic dog scoops Finn up and loops upwards to grab Marceline. The three retreat just before the opening Finn made is closed off. Finn tries not to look back despite Simon's deranged screams as he fights for his sanity.

"Dude... You okay?" Jake stretches an eye to his passengers as he evades gesticulating icicles, "Back there you were all... weird."

"I-I'm alright dude, I just..." Finn sighs, "I lost it man."

"...Is she okay?"

Finn peers at Marceline's wound. His expression becomes horrified.

"It's... not healing."

"WHA-?! But... But the vampire... the Moon! She-"

"Look man!"

The wound stretches from her navel up to her solar plexus. The ice driven through clings to the wound and spreads onto the surrounding flesh. The bleeding has stopped, but there is no evidence of healing either. Instead, something black is seeping from the opening. The Vampire Queen's complexion has drained to that of white marble. Her eyes are closed, her breath still, and her skin cold as ice.

"Oh, man, oh man..." Jake whimpers, "Is she dead? What do we tell PB?"

They break to the surface, only to be greeted by bedlam.

There are fire-bolts raining from the fire birds overhead. The Ice Giants are stomping at an unseen enemy by the outer wall. Snowmen, penguins, and other ice creatures are running about. The storm intensifies. Finn, squinting, can see the dim light of fire over yonder, at the Passe Crevasse.

"Dude, they started fighting without us."


	8. This is War

"FIRE!"

The Fire wolves catapult off the lava golem's arm and vault straight into the Ice golem's face. The behemoth moans as its face is melted. But as soon as it goes, the hole closes back up. The wolves shiver in the snow as their lava veins cool in the snow. Arrows of ice hail down from the fortress walls, turning several soldiers into solid blocks of glacier. The Hot Dog Knights throw meager taunts at the Ice army behind the rampaging Muscle Princess.

"Dang-glob this!" PB swears as she blasts an Ice Gryphon. Her rear is covered by Lady Rainicorn, who effectively blinds a multitude of enemies, "Why'd they start attacking?!"

Phoebe melts wave after wave of enemies. But once the water is reabsorbed into the snow, new assailants emerge.

"Ugh! There's no end to them! We'll have to melt the whole kingdom in one shot!"

"Like that'll be possible! You think one golem can emit enough heat for something that massive-"

Bubblegum stops mid-sentence. The Ice fortress is changing again. The walls stretch higher and higher, trying to converge. Through her snow vision goggles, she can glimpse a small figure pop out just before the walls seal themselves into a tall mountaintop.

"Jake?!"

...

The walls began moving the moment Simon was losing control. Finn and Jake reached the outer wall, but saw it begin ascending.

"Oh, man! Hold on tight!" Jake grows spurs on his soles and begins running vertically up the expanding wall. It's going to be close. If they didn't make it, they'd be stuck within the Ice Kingdom with the batty king.

"Jake! Jump!"

In an amazing final stretch, Jake vaults out the hole, just before the ice converged into a single point. The escapees are greeted by the howling blizzard wind and dreary grey sky. There is a sudden light streaking across, right above them, that collides and decimates one of the nearby peaks. The ice, smoking, regenerates.

"Holy smokes! That was FP, wasn't it?!"

"Yeah! They're over there! Come on!"

The magic dog sprouts wings and glides in the biting cold to the site of their allies. FP, afloat and fiery, almost mistakes them as enemies and hurls a fireball, holding back at the last second. PB breathes a sigh of relief, but her face quickly changes as she notices Marceline isn't sitting on Jake. She's the first to rush up to them as they land in the snow.

"Finn! Where's-"

"Princess! Marceline, she's-! You gotta help her!"

Bubblegum freezes at the sight of the Vampire Queen. It was reminiscent of when Marceline had almost died from Hierophant's poison. Already once, the Princes had come so close to losing her. Once again...

"G-get her on Lady. I'll fly back to the Candy Kingdom... See what we can do there..."

"PB! You're needed here! Whoa!" Phoebe narrowly dodges a hurled icicle.

"Go on, Princess. Me and Jake'll hold your place," Her brave knight says assuredly, "Only you can help Marceline, right?"

 _I don't even know if I even can..._ The Candy monarch grips Marceline's marble hand. It's cold... colder than usual. Lady says she'll stay behind in Korean, prompting PB to nod. She blows a signature whistle and Morrow appears immediately. The poor bird shivers in the cold, despite its flourishing winter coat.

"Sorry, girl," PB communicates with soft coos. She hauls Marceline onto the saddle and straddles on herself. She looks out to the battlefield she's leaving, as all faces turn to her briefly.

"Thank you all for your sacrifice. I swear I will return."

"Just go!" Flame Princess provides them temporary cover as they fly into the blizzard. She turns her sights to the now-closed-up Ice Kingdom. Finn and Jake suit up beside her, ready to strike.

"Alright, boys," The flame monarch signals to her brethren, "We're gonna scorch this place to the ground!"

The Fire Kingdom responds with a hearty cheer. Their combined flames remain a beacon for all of Ooo in the winter storm. PB flies further from the torchlight, towards her lit citadel of sweets. Many shiver in shelters, awaiting the end of the storm.

...

"Alright, lady..." LSP loudly chews her popcorn before the prisoner, "PB told me you were a hunk of bad jeebies. Well, you know what these lumps are? The lumps of hot justice!"

Bits of her food splay as she talks. Betty doesn't even look at the idiot warden. Somewhere outside, Magic Man's hat calls out to her. Somewhere outside this prison, the crown is raging. This world will soon freeze, leaving her free to save Simon. If she could just get past this idiot...

"Hey, LSP, mind giving me a hand?" Turtle Princess enters the dungeon with armfuls of books from the library. Her nasally voice is worse from a cold, which is why she's wearing a flu mask, "Gridface Princess is hogging the whole place to herself, so I've got to research down here."

"Oh, glob," LSP picks one book out of the piles, causing it all to topple. The dust makes her sneeze "Ugh! This is why I don't read dusty books!"

"Well, we gotta do something, LSP. PB said we have to find out what the Blue Death is, or people'll freeze to death."

Upstairs, Gridface Princess has assembled her numerous gridbots into a supercomputer encompassing most of the library. There are complaints of the sick echoing from the main hall, which she ignores. Gridface people are, after all, goal-oriented and robotic. This is why citizens capable of simulating discontent are largely annoying, she thinks.

"Oh, Princess..." Peppermint Butler stops his daily ritual early to gaze out of the gnarled tree root at the snow drifting about. The guardian angel, lion and black bull are quivering not of cold, but something else. The red beaked eagle of Death had long returned to the Underworld. Not Pep But, of course, not him. He was bound to serve the princess. That's why he gazes so earnestly at the patch of light somewhere in the blizzard, where she is currently fighting. To his surprise, the unmistakable silhouette of Morrow flies to the Princess' bedchambers. Scrambling, the candy makes his way to his mistress.

Bubblegum doesn't mind the snow piles on her bedroom floor. She hefts the wounded queen over her shoulder and opens the door to her lab. Empty, good. Even though she'd volunteered the Candy Kingdom for HQ, no one has accessed her stronghold of science, yet. She lays Marceline down on the specimen table and winces at the wound. Pep But enters while she's rummaging for her flasks. He gasps at the icicle driven through the vampire.

"Your majesty, I-"

"Go get Doctor Princess and Gridface Princess. _Now_."

The butler scurries off to obey. She was tense, the Princess. She'd always been tense, and protective, about the Vampire Queen. Personally, the striped candy didn't like Marceline. He knew her father personally, and they were more alike in ways than he could name. Dr. P was tending patients with Dr. Ice Cream. At the butler's beckon, she arrives tentatively in the Princess' lab. Gridface Princess is already there.

"...Your majesty?" She walks, uncertain, to the table. A small gasp escapes when she sees the vampire, "Is... that..."

"It's Marceline... The Ice King hit her during negotiations..."

"Hmm, well. What have your initial scans shown?"

PB shakes her head, "Vampires don't have vital signs to show their alive. She has healing powers. But for some reason... they're not working..."

"...Then the first thing we should do is at least remove the weapon..." The icicle quivers upon Dr. Princess' touch, prompting her to jump back a little, "Ahh?"

"Is it... vibrating?"

"Hmm," Gridface princess uses the scanner built into her head, "It's irradiated with magic. Her wound ... is infected with some sort of matter. It's emitting an odd energy signal."

PB pulls a lever, moving an overhead claw to descend and grasp the ice. It begins to pull with a low whine. To her surprise, the ice spreads further around Marceline's body. She stops the machine, fearing the damage of the queen's body.

"So... What can we do?"

"Whatever that ice is. It's living. I think..." PB grips Marceline's hand, "Marcy's still alive... inside somewhere. But the ice is trying to kill her..."

"I repeat, what can we do?" Gridface Princess faces her, "If it is internal, must we preform a surgery?"

"No, you won't do anything of the sort!"

The three turn heads to see Peppermint Butler standing by the doorway, looking father miffed.

"You have to trust in Miss Abadeer and leave it as it is!"

"Pep, what are you..." Bubblegum recalls the candy's odd technique for curing poison, "There's got to be something!"

"The Ice King's power has entered. With Bella Noche seeping around inside, she no longer has the healing power necessary to fight it off so easily! But we can't do anything against the affliction, can't you see? The Ice's will to Freeze... she has to fight it on her own."

PB's hand balls into a quivering fist. She hated this feeling of helplessness. Once again, she can't do anything.

"And? Was soll aus Sie werden?" The Princess speaks in shaking German.

"If she passes her trials, she will live. If not, she will be one of many casualties. Princess," The demon candy's voice softens, "This is war."

PB angrily wipes away a tear, "Get me the Grand Master in Wizard City. NOW!"

...

"Why... Why did you do that?"

Simon looks about the frozen labyrinth. Santa Claus and Svein have run off to who knows where. The green Gunter is nowhere to be seen, his drum left lying in the new tundra. He sits down on the length of heightened ground, knees drawn to his chest.

Just seconds after Magic Woman, or Betty, had zapped Ice King in the face, the whole labyrinth changed. The gold walls of encryption became overrun with blue code and wiring. A great image flashed across the sky of a comet. Ice and frost began to cover the landscape. The words "Save Ooo, Freeze Ooo" appeared on the floor, crisscrossing like police tape.

But that isn't what bothers Simon in the least. He could still see that horrific image. Marceline ... dangling from the ice spike, completely still...

 _Simon._

Simon looks up at the garble-voiced figure towering over him and the labyrinth. It looks like a cross between the ancient wizard Evergreen and Gunter and several others of the past, long eaten away by insanity, all juxtaposing and jumbled, with the crown atop its head. Those slotted eyes, perched atop the long blue nose, peer down condescendingly past the white strands of beard at the puny mortal who is like an ant.

"What do you want?" The former antiquarian says miserably, irritably, "What more can you possibly want from me?!"

 _Why do you not hide from me as the others?_

"Why? Why should I?" Simon breaks an exasperated laugh, putting a hand to his wrinkling forehead, "You've already taken everything from me... You made me attack Marcy... I'VE GOT NOTHING LEFT! DON'T YOU SEE THAT?!"

The old spirit of the crown looks at the sobbing quadragenarian with hard eyes. It'd be easy to completely wipe him out as he is now. And he'd deserve it! He let the wretched comet half escape. But no matter. It'll only be a matter of time before Ooo freezes, and them with it.

 _I am the savior of this world._

"NO!" Simon stands, "You're not ... anything! You're just some stupid AI - A piece of hardware!"

He points wildly at the blue landscape, "Everything here - None of it's real! You're not real! I AM!"

 _It's time you retire, human. Your race was long doomed to an end, the moment they made that deal with the Lich._

"You can't do it... You can't-! There's nothing left..." Simon grasps his head and sinks slowly to his knees as ice begins growing on him, encasing him, "...nothing..."

The giant sniffs a little, then sneezes. The little block of ice at his feet is so insignificant. Why bother destroying it? It looks toward the image of the comet, plastered across the sky, still.

 _I will do as I was made to._


	9. Retreat

"HIYAH!" Finn smashes an ice warrior's head with the butt of his sword. Jake shatters several more ice figures with his enlarged fists.

"Keep it up, guys!" The little hot dog knight are now yelling encouragements after their taunts seemed to have minimal effect.

Phoebe looks up. Her brother Flint is homing in from the Kingdom.

"How is it?"

"It's coming."

The lone Fire Giant exudes clouds of hot steam as it awakens. Lava gushes from the floor as it cracks the earth upon its wake. The lights are dimming, dimming ... So it's time to wake up once more my brave warriors ... Raise the kingdom of red hue so the eternal flame may illuminate all of Ooo. Tremble the earth as the tremendous gods you are ... The stone head riddled with blue lines of pure flame coursing swivels about, confused. Gods? Where are the others? It is alone in the storage chambers where the world had left it, chosen to forget it. But still, that song rings true. The Kingdom is colder than it should be and the dark is returning. Before it returns to darkness ... that of monsters, the flame must once again be lit. The giant's heavy limbs creak as they move after such a long sleep.

A cylinder of blue flame sears out the vent of the Fire Kingdom's main volcano. The citizens feel the burst of heat rejuvenating their cooling veins. A crater opens up along the side of the mountain, torn by the colossal giant. It staggers the slightest bit at the sudden exposure to the lower temperature outside. Then, regaining its stride, it steps out of the kingdom boundaries, into the blizzard, towards the source of this darkness.

"It's the Giant of old!" Myriads of flame citizens bow as he passes.

"Did you feel that?" The Flame King nudged his partner in their cramped prison, "Felt like a quake."

"Who cares?!" Flame Lord erupts, "I'm stuck here with you unless-"

The chains bearing the lamp aloft creak and snap. Glass flies as the prison falls and shatters. The two freed convicts gleefully hi-five. "We're free!" A sudden rumble from outside halts their happy rejoicing. Curious, they look out and gape at the giant's stride. It walks steady, its lava veins flickering, like candlelight.

The light goes not unseen from the battle. A tremor seems to ripple through all ranks, ally and foe. Finn looks in awe at the blue, hazy light through the blizzard winds. Far away, he hears a long somber voice awakened...

...

"Oh, if it isn't Princess Bubblegum..."

The Grand Master Wizard looks rather snide at the Princess in her pink parka. His own hairy body is coated with snow. He'd been convening in the square with the wizard populace of the city to discuss their plans. Fire wizards were at a shortage. Numerous people complained of the barrier's failure.

"...I need your help."

"Oh? This coming from the one who couldn't say 'Wizards Rule'," He snorts, "But I, being more gracious than you, may be willing to listen to your plea if you compromise."

Wizards are so stupid, thinks the princess silently, they care about the most irrational things. "I'm not here to play games."

At the princess' tone, the enlightened ears beneath age-old white hairs do perk. For if any other had heard, they'd have assumed the princess her usual countenance toward wizards. But the Grand Master's ears are wizened with age. He could hear a different plea in her voice. One much more desperate.

"I saw what happened to the Vampire Queen," The wizard speaks, "It was her own fault. The anti-magic she stole from me was cursed for safety measures. It backfires on the thief trying to use it."

"You..." Bubblegum bites back her words, "Is there any way to help...?"

"Under normal circumstances, her healing would save her. But with Bella Noche canceling out her magic blood, she is left in a broken body and an infection of which I have never seen."

"The Ice King's magic..."

"Yes," The Wizard nods gravely, "Many of our own have begun to fall ill. This new frost upon the world seeks to invade every being and take it to death. She is one of many casualties."

"She's not dead yet," PB sucks in air sharply through her teeth, "I'll figure it out. Even if you can't help me."

"She is an odd vampire, one not bound within my conventional knowledge. Perhaps she will survive, although greatly changed."

"So you can't help me."

"Don't be so sullen. I would send Ron James, but he's busy making magic blankets. Bufo is out of question since he's in prison, as well as Laser and Forest Wizard. Hrmmph," He grunts over the mention of insubordinates, "Fine. I'll send a platoon of wizard ambassadors to your kingdom shortly. An awake spell or potion ought to work."

"...Thanks."

The two stand in silence. Their conversation having been finished, the Grand Wizard leaves first, ambling out towards the Wizard Square to address his subjects once again. Bubblegum hops back onto Morrow, who croons softly. The monarch ruffles the birds neck feathers in assurance. Morrow flaps her wings and makes flight back to the Candy Kingdom. Through the ice storm, the soft glow of fire from the battlefield blazes. Wordlessly, the Princess changes course.

...

"Jake!" Lady zaps a snowman before it reaches him, leaving her flank side open to fire.

"Lady, look out!" Jake jumps before a volley of ice shards for his girlfriend. His elastic hide does not bleed, but the pain is clearly shown on his face, "Ow, ow, ow!"

He responds by sending several masses of flesh, punching the assailants. The fervor is dying down in the army as the ice soldiers show no sign of stopping.

Suddenly a huge ball of fire flies over their heads. The ice army is instantly reduced to puddles even the snow rapidly melts. Steam issues from the sudden change in temperature and heat is blasting from the Fire Giant as he arrives to join the fray. The Ooo principalities cheer as the fireball collides with the frozen fortress, melting the ice shell and Ice Kingdom.

 _Such fools._

A sudden rumbling emits from the earth. Finn tenses as he sees the Ice Mountain range rise and break the surrounding land.

 _Balthus may have left you a treasure. But I am an Elemental as well. AND I AM ALIVE!_

Larger than even Darren, an ice giant wearing the ice peaks as a crowning adornment towers over the battlefield. The Giant seems undaunted, despite appearing smaller. Everyone else is running. Panic breaks out among ranks.

"No - Stay! Fight! We can do this!" Flame Princess calls helplessly. Her troops quake in their shoes, unable to rally.

The Ice Titan raises its arm and brings it down like a hammer. The sheer pressure blows many away before the actual impact. Balthus' lone giant spews a tongue of flame that meets the arm head-on. Finn feels his face sweating off from the heat and cold clashing. Jake whisks him away in a ball just before the Titans arm breaks through the flame and crashes down on the giant's arms.

"NO!" Flame Princess gapes as the Fire Giant struggles to bear the entire brunt of weight from the crushing blow. Its lava veins begin to darken and cool, its stone body cracks, as the Titan presses harder. She glimpses the crazed King laughing from the tallest crown spire.

Incensed, she flies straight for the apex. Her body glows bright like a star as she flies straight towards Ice King. The Ice King sees her coming and gleefully prepares a powerful blast. Below, the Giant's stone legs begin crumbling.

"ICE KING!"

Ice King releases his pent-up power. Phoebe flies directly into the heart of the blast. The cold bites as she fights the cold current. It's sapping, she could feel it, draining away at her heat. But she had to, even if she could summon no more heat. She had to beat him before the last giant collapses. The cold becomes unbearable as it overcomes her senses. No more... No more...

"Flame Princess!" Finn looks in horror as his ex goes into free fall. Her body is ashen, extinguished.

"Phoebe!"

Princess Bubblegum arrives just to swoop in and catch the flame monarch on Morrow. Ice King sends icicles which the bird narrowly dodges. PB shoots the crazed king a look. He glares back with an insane grin. Bonnibel feels it in her gut as she looks at the lukewarm Phoebe in her arms. They can't win the battle today.

"Everyone! RETREAT!"

The cry is heard. Few straggle to obey. The Giant ultimately collapses; a low, sad moan its last words. The Ice Titan rears, its dreadful shadow stretching, and gives a cackling roar to the storm overhead. With one good stomp, it grounds the giant's remains into the ground and begins to advance in large steps. Its arms swat about at the bird in front of it, trying to catch Morrow.

"Princess!" Finn yells.

"Don't worry about me! Mir geht es gut!" She shouts back, "Just get everyone back! We'll convene at the castle!"

Ice King fires an ice bolt, narrowly missing Morrow's left wing, "OHH, PRINCEEESSS!"

At this point the Princess is fed up. Without warning, she takes out a ray gun from her waist holster and blasts the monarch squarely in the face. He had not expected it, and falls back, recoiling, from the window. The Titan staggers slightly and stops in response to the monarch's pain. The precious window of opportunity allows all the apt combatants to run away and fight another day, albeit with significantly decreased morale.

...

"There."

Doctor Princess takes a step back, having assembled the EEG. Two plugs from Marcelines temples lead to a machine spitting out readings on brainwaves. The doctor then places a sensor on the icicle and hooks it up to a more complex googoomamameter. She looks uncomprehendingly at the readings of magic. Only Princess Bubblegum would be able to use this. Most others in Ooo's Science Society consider magic a no-touch subject. It doesn't hurt to gather readings though. Doctor Princess proceeds to look over at the brainwaves when Gridface Princess' helmet attachment begins beeping.

"Oh, I just received a text from PB," Gridface Princess quips, clicking the side button, "She's leaving us in charge while she goes to check out the battlefield situation."

"Oh, I do hope this might blow over quick. But from the looks of Miss Abadeer's condition, we have to prepare for the worst..." Doctor Princess picks up the roll of paper etched with brainwave readings, "Would you look at that, she's in REM."

"Rapid Eye Movement... Wonder what she's dreaming about." Gridface people do not dream.

"You can hold out here. I have more patients by the second," Doctor Princess rises to the door, "Holler if you need me."

The door slams shut. Gridface Princess stands before her virtual computer in the lab, blipping away. The unconscious Vampire Queen does not stir. Her thoughts are elsewhere.

"Do the undead even dream?" Gridface Princess wonders aloud. Gridface people are unable to process inner thoughts and therefore must speak their mind.


	10. Licking Wounds

A cool breeze ripples and grass tickles her nose. She remembers this sensation. When she became human for that brief moment, she could feel sunlight again. She was warm. Opening her eyes, she sees an orange sky and a glaring sun. Sitting up, she finds herself lost among sunflowers in a wide field. It's peaceful here. Her mind feels nothing.

Then she remembers.

Simon. The crown. That horrid sensation looking lost in his eyes. He was gone. Then he …

Marceline absentmindedly feels her stomach. There's no wound. What happened?

"Where am I?" The queen wonders aloud.

"Nowhere, Marceline."

That familiar deep, throaty voice sends Marceline for a whirl. Stricken, she slowly turns to face the lion-like Vampire King. He is the same, from then when she'd defeated him and he remained in her consciousness.

"What do you mean, nowhere?" She looks about in feigned disgust, "What's with the flowers?"

"You should know, Marceline. Though nowhere, this is everywhere. And if I'm here," He taps his temple with a crocodile claw, "Where must this be?"

Marceline is quiet as she absorbs the environment. The sweet smell is reminiscent of a flower she'd seen in a field long ago, with her mother. After the war, they all but disappeared. "Is this ... all in my head?"

"...Indeed. This would be the core of your heart."

"...Why am I here?" She asks irritably. The scent brings memories. Memories she'd rather forget. "I'm not dead, am I?"

"What a silly question. Of course not," The Vampire King plucks a flower and breathes its scent deeply, "You have been injured, but not slain, no."

"... So is this another poison coma?" Marceline thinks back to when she had that dream of her future with Bubblegum. She was happy. And Simon and Betty were together. That was like a beautiful lie, a lure baiting her to stay asleep. Will she be tempted again?

"Marceline," The Vampire King's image fizzles for just a second, "Don't trust anything it says. Remember..."

An icy wind washes over and the vision turns cold. the flowers are frosted over in a cold wave and Marceline stands amongst frozen icicles. The Vampire King begins dissipating. He yells to her urgently, desperately, "Remember what you have here, Marceline! Who's waiting for you-"

Before he finishes, he disappears. Marceline breathes out a small cloud of steam as she surveys this world of her own. Solitude rings a somber tone as she begins to walk. It only seems right, to walk here. She is careful not to break any of the frozen plants. Despite the difficulty, she does not choose to fly here. She heads up a lone hill and is blinded by a sudden flash as a sun rises too quickly.

When she opens her eyes, a shadow stands at the hilltop. His silhouette is obvious in the harsh light.

"Simon?!" Her jaw drops in shock.

"Hello, Marceline." He smiles in that familiar way so the skin around his eyes crinkle behind his spectacles. He turns to the pale light and sits, patting the spot beside him. "Come, sit next to me."

Marceline's legs are frozen. Her mind is fixated on this image before her. Simon is here. But is he real? Or just an image of her deluded mind in a coma?

"...Wait, this is all in my head. Simon ... You're not real!" She shakes her head violently. "I won't be fooled! I just have to wake up!"

She feels warm hands clasp her wrist and a small kiss on her forehead. Unwillingly she looks up to that kind, familiar face.

"Marceline. It may be in your head... But does that mean I'm not real?" He brushes aside stray strands of hair from her face, "I'm real inside your heart, Marcy."

His hand brushes her cheek. She can't stop her trembling hands from reaching up and clasping it fervently. After seeing his blank eyes that time in the icy cavern... He couldn't possibly be here, but he is! She sobs a little, trying not to cry. Simon smiles, slowly lowering her down onto the ground. The two sit there alone as the light washes over the frozen world. He strokes her hair as she buries her face into his blazer.

"My big, strong Marcy..."

...

"...And another bites the dust," Death waves his hand over the dead body and draws out the luminescent soul orb. "And that's 134 ... all before dinnertime!"

Doctor Princess and Doctor Ice Cream scurry about, patient to patient. Death looks at them, sneering. Only the dying may see him in all is splendor, and those in the hall being treated squirm at the sight of him despite their severe frostbite.

"No, no, no... Starchy's not ready to go to you..." The old gravekeeper candy weakly waves an arm at the skeletal being. "It's just a cold ... just a cold... magic ... cures all..."

"Hmm..." Death scans the room with breathtaking exactitude. His vision sees souls, not so much the normal sights. That rotund rainicorn may not make it through the night, no matter how hard his mommy's crying. It may seem wounded are streaming in from a lost battle, seeing as Finn and Jake are sitting near by, rather sullen. His ghostly orbs' gaze wanders upstairs where a familiar undead lies. Undead do not have a soul ... normally. But the Vampire Queen, being part demon, retained some sort of a broken soul. He ascends up the stairs and enters the hidden laboratory with ease. Inside, the Princess of Gridpeople and Candy are looking at some meaningless charts and blips on screens around the Vampire Queen.

"Ooh," Death whistles a little looking at the wound, "That's gotta hurt."

The Vampire Queen's soul dims a little. Well that's not good. Pretty soon she'll be croaking then.

"Princess ... Perhaps our success rate..." Gridface Princess puts a hand on PB's shoulder, "...Has dropped too low to salvage at this rate."

"NO!" PB slaps her away, "I can't give up!"

"You're letting your emotions rule. You're being irrational! Your citizens need you elsewhere!" Grid Princess scoffs at how even PB can be so illogical at times.

"...I need to be alone."

Gridface Princess picks up the brittle tone with mild accuracy and leaves, taking her virtual panels with her. Bubblegum looks about, distraught, at all the chaos, all the notes and illegibly scribbled papers, strewn about her lab. What is wrong with her?

Death smirks. A knock sounds from outside suddenly.

"Be this Princess Bubblegum's haven of the 'Science'?"

"Quiet hither, for I can see Death within. Tread closely."

Death evaporates, promptly returning downstairs before the Wizard eyes give him away. Bubblegum hurries to open the door. Two wizards with long moustaches stand at the threshold, slightly shorter than she.

"We're here to waken the fair maiden-"

"Yeah, I know. Hurry up, will you?"

"Not the polite one, is she?"

"Come on we learned this! The focus is on efficiency-"

"Please! Can you just, ugh, do what you're here to do?"

"Simple spell, even for amateurs," One of the wizards draw up their sleeves, "But waking her may do more harm than good, seeing as we cannot remove the icicle."

"...But you can wake her?"

"Yes," The wizard draws a potion from the folds of his mustache, "This is a Rouse potion. We need merely charm this and pour it into her ear."

"I'll position my grabber to extract the icicle quickly. Do it." The princess positions herself behind the control panel. The wizards begin muttering a charm and the potion glows once. They poise, ready above the motionless body. Beads of candy sweat form as Bubblegum has the claw grip the icicle neck tightly and tug. Marceline's body, secured on the table, seems to stretch as the flesh and ice strain to separate. A blackness squelches and spurts from the wound. At the sight of the black matter, the wizard's' eyes bulge and they splash the concoction all over Marceline, hurrying out of the room, screaming.

"Wait! Hey-"

"OOOOOOOGGGHHHH!"

The black stuff spills onto the floor and groans. Slowly, the tarry matter shapes and turns to a black robe. Blue skin stretches over limbs and white hair flowers from the oblong head. Bubblegum looks upon a foot-tall Bella Noche who just sprouted out of Marceline's wound, sprawled on the floor. The primordial form of the Anti-MAgic being squeaked in surprise when it sees her and scurries away on all fours, like a mouse.

The princess stands, stunned. Some sense returns and she rushes to Marceline. The potion dried fast. Bubblegum strokes a hand along her hairline to her cheek and bends down, so her forehead touches with Marceline's. Sobs, bottled up, roil within her voice, making it sound brittle and hard to breathe. She draws a shaky breath and closes her eyes, feeling the queen's cool skin against her own and hearing nothing but their sole existences.

"Can you even hear me anymore... Marceline... Come back to me, please..."

...

A lone dog is heard howling through the night. Finn sits under the threshold of the Candy Kingdom gates, standing guard. He feels a tug at his pants and looks down to Peppermint Butler with a hot cup of tea.

"Thanks, Pep," Finn downs the drink quickly, scalding his tongue.

"You're too stubborn to sit still. Don't you care that your bro's in pain?"

Finn looks down sullenly. the teacup handle hangs from his fingers precariously. Already Marceline, Phoebe, and now T.V...

He remembers this helplessness from once before. When he and Jake went to get the Enchiridion, he'd seen those nasty pixies blow up those old ladies. He couldn't save any one of them and they all died because of him. That time, it may have been a trial, sure, everyone dead wasn't _really_ dead. But this time ... It's like losing his arm all over again, but a thousand times worse.

"Sir Jake will be needing a shoulder. Lady is distraught as well, and the Princess is locked up in her lab," The butler looks at him with those dead eyes, "Don't you go breaking down too. Ooo is doomed at this rate."

"Peps, I messed up. I've messed up real bad..." He feels torn, half his body in the biting cold, and the other facing the warmth of the kingdom beyond this door.

"Well then that's too bad. But look at it this way-" Peppermint Butler is momentarily distracted by a small black creature with white hair that runs past his legs. It comes back from the cold immediately. He catches it with an expert hand. He holds its squirming body as he resumes, "Ahem, oh yes. Go inside, warm up. Lift the spirits. Do something, but don't mope. Do that some other time."

The rotund candy leaves, Belle Noche in hand. Finn looks at the circular shadow against the bright light from the castle hall. He sighs and takes a step forward. Then a voice like a death rattle from behind stops him in his tracks cold.

"Hey, kid." Death stands in the dark cold, barely illuminated by the dimly reaching light. His eyes are the clearest signs of his presence. "How's it goin' for ya?"

"Death!" Finn freezes up at the sight of the deity. Pep But must've put something in the tea so he could see him. "Are you here to..."

Death affirms the unfinished question by nodding and drawing a line with his thumb across his bony neck. "I took this one just now."

He holds up a soul orb. Finn can just barely make out the familiar face almost all Jake's children shared. "T.V." He breathes.

"Yup. A darn shame, too. It's not like I like taking lives, you know. With this many, it may be too big a job."

Finn thinks of all those wounded. The memory of Marceline getting pierced, Flame Princess getting extinguished...

"What ... What can I do?" The confused boy asks out loud. The question is not directed at Death, nor anyone for the matter.

The skeleton head deity looks at the human intently. "I'll be back again. Expect me all night ... Oh, wait, daytime might never show through again if this storm keeps up... Anyways, I can't help you with that, kid. Maybe a certain person who knows your vampire friend can help you. Someone who's not a huge psycho."

With that, Death sinks below. He leaves no footprints in the snow. Finn lingers, looking at whatever was standing there in the cold. It was just as soulless as the storm and the dark that has overtaken Ooo. A shadow of the Titan in the storm in the distance is a sure sign of imminent danger. The crazy King isn't going to stop until all of them end up like T.V.

The human boy returns to the Kingdom hall. Manfried looks a little happy to see him, but just a little. He walks past his grieving brother and Rainicorn, who's collapsed, sobbing over the covered body of their son. Doctor Princess hurries to get out of his way as he leaves to the garden, where it has been converted to a shelter for refugees from outside the kingdom. There, several fire elementals are clustered about Flame Princess. She looks slightly better, not ashen, but she's yet to regain consciousness. Finn sits down in pretzel-position next to Flint.

"How is she?"

"She's stronger than this," Flint's voice is usually full of brash confidence. Now it's diminished in that fervor. "But that giant... that was our only chance...!"

Finn looks down at his feet in contemplation. Whatever power he had inside, he'd need it. The way things were now, Pep But was right. He was their only hope.


End file.
